Peaness are genuinely exhilarating on Are You Sure?

Chester indie pop trio Peaness celebrate their signing to Alcopop! Records with the release of their new Are You Sure? EP. And it's an absolute doozy.

There's something genuinely exhilarating about Are You Sure? It's a bouncy, fun EP from start to finish, DIY with its feet firmly planted in the pop camp, every one of the five tracks guaranteed to get your feet moving. This is music that works primarily on an emotional level. It's not there to analyse but to get your toes tapping and your mouth humming along.

There's something slightly retro about Peaness. As a whole, the EP hearkens back to the halcyon days of the early nineties indie scene. Thankfully, it's a more interesting take than yet another neo-grunge band who sound a bit like Nirvana or some kind of *shudder* Britpop revivalist project. Instead, Are You Sure? takes on the far more appealing tack of coming across like Sleater Kinney's poppier, more hyper younger sisters.

The inherently enjoyable nature of the music doesn't stop Are You Sure? from having a more serious, sombre side. If you look deeper, past the innate accessibility of the songs, there's something a bit more complicated going on. Lyrically, Peaness are intelligent, even introspective at times. "Same Place" (the best song on a collection of great songs) deals with the feelings of being in the same place for a long time.

"Oh George" seems at first glance like it's a standard song of unrequited love, but on second glance is actually a penetrating take down of George Osborne. It's this fusing of killer pop tunes with a lyrical sharpness that make Peaness such a winning proposition. Judging by the strength of Are You Sure?, this is a band that are going places. Just make sure you aren't left behind.